by C. Stecko
Betty looked meaner than ever. She displayed the same evil grimace she wore before being hauled off to jail. Only now her attire matched kick-ass persona. I’d neva seen Betty in a pair of jeans, or dirty sneakers. It was obvious she was doin’ bad.
“Look, Betty,” I started. “Don’t come here startin’ no shit with me. It wasn’t me,” I whined, tryna plead my case.
“Are you gonna let me in? We need to talk.”
“Talk about what? I’m leavin’ in just a few minutes. For good,” I added.
“Shit too thick for your skin, huh?”
“Not really sure what that means.” I frowned, then peeked around Betty’s frame to identify the car that had just pulled up. This time it really was Mike.
“Look Betty, that’s my ride I gotta go.”
“Co-Co. I’m here as a friend. I need you and you need me.”
My eyebrows crinkled. “Do I?”
“Yeah. That damn Tony is a snake,” Betty growled. “His little short-ass had me shut down, and is planning on using you as a scapegoat, too. Here’s what I want to do.”
Mike laid on the horn loudly as I listened to Betty rant. She spoke angrily as she rattled off all that Tony had done, and her plan to take him out. Honestly, I wasn’t interested in gettin’ him back. I just wanted to put my past and Brooklyn behind me. I started grabbin’ my bags with speed, and pullin’ them closer to the front door. I tried to think hard about anythin’ that I coulda left behind in my bedroom. Finally, I asked Betty to step back so I could sit all my stuff on the porch. I wasn’t sure what was takin’ Mike so long to get outta the car, but I’d started to become more nervous as Betty talked about the police, Tony, and her boys from uptown.
Finally, all in one breath, Betty said to me, “police want to talk to you, and Tony wants to have you killed.”
I stopped movin’ out on the front stoop. The sun seemed to be scorchin’ and I’d already begun to sweat as Betty’s words marinated in my head. All at the same time, I watched Mike finally emerge from the car out front. He stood in the middle of the street lookin’ down the block as if he’d seen a ghost. I turned to look in the same direction his eyes were planted. Maybe he’d seen the police headed our way. Betty claimed they needed to talk to me. I panicked ’cause I wasn’t goin’ back to jail for Tony, Betty, nobody!
All of a sudden, I brushed past Betty and down the five steps leadin’ to the sidewalk. By the time I hit the bottom step, I turned to see why Mike had decided to stand still by his car. He seemed completely lifeless, unable to process what was about to happen. I couldn’t believe this was occurrin’. Why was he doin’ this to me? I closed my eyes to say a silent prayer. Deep inside I knew there was a huge possibility that I’d neva live to open them again.
Chapter 21
Together they walked up the block like the fuckin’ militia had arrived. It was crazy how just two men, and a few small followers behind them could instill so much fear in one block. Anyone in close proximity stopped in their tracks to see what the ruckus was all about. Even though they pointed, nodded, and eyed the newcomers, I hoped that at least one of my neighbors had enough sense to call the police.
How’d I ever really think I would leave New York, and be able to chant the old saying, “I love New York!” Hell, I hated New York; and especially hated Brooklyn. My heart told me shit was ’bout to get funky. I prayed not bloody, but knew I was trickin’ myself. I tried to keep my eyes shut tightly until my ears heard Bo say, “Chantel, you gon pay.”
His tone was erratic, terrifyin’, and sent chills up my spine. Had Betty set me up? Had she told Bo where I laid my head?
I looked ova to see her overweight –ass huffin’ and puffin’ tryna make her way back up the staircase to Tony’s spot. She seemed to be just as shocked as I was at the arrival of Bo and Sugar G. But the bitch was tricky. She was good at playin’ both sides of the fence. I wanted to say somethin’. But couldn’t. The nerves inside my mouth wouldn’t allow it.
The next voice that sounded was the voice of my future. “Co-Co, get in the car!” Mike shouted.
After a quick glance, I noticed that he’d made his way around to the passenger side of his car, and held the front door open like he wanted me to run like hell. My head played ping pong as I looked back and forth from Mike to Betty to Bo. It was all too confusin’.
Bo kept comin’ toward me, now just two yards away, with his fist balled up and his arms pulled tightly against his sides. His grimace confirmed that he was angry, but his piercin’ eyes told me he had come to kill me. It was crazy how he’d brought Sugar G as his back-up. He was far from a fighter, and his attire didn’t appear to be ‘rumble ready’. I watched frightfully as Sugar G, took giant leapin’ footsteps directly behind Bo, wearin’ an all white linen set, and a satin lookin’ trench coat in ninety-degree weather. Sugar G was neva known to even get his finger nails dirty, so I didn’t understand why he’d worn white to a gang fight. I watched closer as the feather in his outlandish, jumbo styled hat swayed from side to side, just as the gold necklaces danglin’ from the openin’ on his shirt did the same. The figures behind Sugar G, walked quickly behind them, but their faces could not be made out. One figure almost made me think it was a woman.
My voice was my way of callin’ a truce. “I’m sorry if I hurt you Bo!” I started backin’ up slowly. “I-I-I-I- just needed to get outta Pittsburgh for a minute.”
He kept treadin’ fiercely toward me. And I continued to back up, movin’ faster and faster with every step he took in my direction.
Sugar G kept doin’ the sideline cheerleader thing. “Show her Bo Rich,” he chanted, pausin’ in between each word. “Neva let a hoe embarrass you in the streets. Do what you came to do, nigaaaaaaaaa.”
“You gotta believe me, Bo…I neva meant to embarrass you,” I pleaded. My hands began to fumble around in my purse.
“Have some respect, biaatch!” Sugar G shouted. “Call that man Bo Rich!”
“Yeah, have some respect,” Bo repeated like a fuckin’ minor bird.
“As a matter of fact, shoot her ass. Only a bullet will make her see,” G added. His face was serious and since he obviously had some type of magnetic hold on Bo, I knew he would follow through.
Finally, I’d found it. The feel of the 9mm snuggled inside my hand sent me into a panic. I snatched it from my purse, and held it in between my tremblin’ hands. It pointed directly at Bo’s forehead-straight to the middle. Tony had told me if I ever needed to kill a man, go for the middle. My purse started slidin’ down my shoulder, so I released it completely, and gripped the gun with both hands tightly. Bo and Sugar kept steppin’ my way until they were right up on me. We all stood a few houses away from Tony’s place, eyein’ one another like long time enemies; them on one team, me on another. I’d decided I was goin’ all the way until the figures behind Sugar G became more apparent.
“Mommy, mommy,” a faint voice called out.
I stumbled, then tried to focus. I turned to see who called out the word, mommy. The word I would’ve given anything to hear under better circumstances. His little innocent face and curly hair made me wanna smile. I loved Carlton with all my heart. My mother had him jacked up by the collar and pulled closely to her side.
“You didn’t think we’d find you, huh?” she smirked.
“Let’em go!” I demanded.
“Like hell!” she responded.
My own mother. I should’ve known. Only a tragedy would change her heart. She’d been the same all her life, and I surely didn’t expect her to change now. “Let him go!” I shouted again. “Whatever beefs you got with me, has nothin’ to do with him.”
Sugar G started laughin’ wildly, and rushed to stick his hands down inside the pocket of his trench coat. Once I recognized that he’d pulled out a gun too, my eyes widened. It was one I’d neva seen Bo with before; a Smith and Wesson, chromed out, probably specially purchased for me.
The pit of my stomach told me things were gettin’ bad. “Don’t worr
y Carlton, baby, everything will be okay,” I assured my son with a fake grin. Tears welled up in his eyes, as he nodded in my direction.
I moved closer to Carlton just as my mother yanked him again, pullin’ him as if he were some type of rag doll. I thought about just poppin’ off shots, hopin’ at least one of one bullets would take Bo’s life.
“Here, man. Shoot her,” Sugar G told Bo abruptly.
He handed him the gun, and without hesitation, Bo had it pointed my way. I kept my eyes on Bo, and my hand on my trigger. I became nervous within seconds, and switched into a fast backwards trot. As I moved backwards I thought about runnin’, leavin’ everything that mattered to me behind. I glanced ova at Mike who remained frozen with the car door open. Then, glanced ova at Betty and zoomed in on her expression.
“Call’em off, Betty!” I shouted.
“Betty?” Sugar G sounded off. Then Bo followed, “Betty? The bitch Betty who told me she hadn’t seen you?”
“Where she at? Where she at?” Bo repeated.
He started lookin’ around frantically, followin’ my stare ova to Betty who looked to be playin’ hide-and-go-seek. When Sugar G spotted her large frame, he froze, then pointed.
Betty went out like a straight punk. She had her body tucked in behind one of the columns on the porch tryna hide her face, and whatever portion of her body that she could. It was at that point that I knew she hadn’t called in the dogs on me.
Bo fired his gun three times in Betty’s direction. Just as the bullets shot off, Carlton managed to escape from my mother’s grip. He jetted in my direction, just as I lowered my gun to catch him as he fell into my embrace. As soon as I felt him safely in my arms, my eyes darted to Mike. Our body language confirmed that I was gonna make a run for it, toward his car. Suddenly, Mike lifted his feet and shot toward the driver’s seat. Just as I grabbed Carlton by his frail arm, gunshots rang out again.
“You gotta pay with what you treasure most,” Sugar G boasted.
He’d snatched the gun from Bo, and handled business himself. Bullets rang out ricochetin’off two cars parked just a few feet from where I stood. I guess my luck had run out ’cause I glanced back to see saddened faces of all the people who I’d ever loved at some point in my life.
Blood splattered about like somethin’ out of a western. I saw the redness tricklin’ down my shirt, but couldn’t feel a bullet inside of me. My body felt numb. No feelin’ at all. Maybe, because I was dying.
Police sirens sounded far in the distance. Just maybe help was on the way. With all the commotion goin’ on, I couldn’t stay focused. Mike stepped from the street onto the curb, all of a sudden in some heroic effort. I shouted, “Noooooooo!” knowin’ that he’d be shot next if he came any closer.
He shook his head in sorrow as if nothin’ would stop him from helpin’ me. Suddenly Carlton slumped ova straddlin’ his body across my arm.
“He’s been shot!” Mike announced.
My expression showed my fright. I looked ova at Sugar G, then at Bo. I had a choice; either point and fire my gun, killin’ them both, or tend to my son. He was bleedin’ from the side of his mouth, as Mike took him from my arms, and turned him ova. The moment he laid him down on the ground, my insides exploded, followed by nasty vomit all ova the sidewalk.
This couldn’t be happenin’. I cried out for the world to hear, “Nooooooooooo. Not my sonnnnnnnn!”
The sirens sounded as if they were gettin’ closer, and more and more people now gathered on the block. They seemed to huddle in large circles directly across the street, afraid to intervene. I started screamin’ once again uncontrollably as Bo took off runnin’ down the street. The flashin’ colors, red and blue, on top of the first police cruiser brought me hope. Just maybe there was an ambulance comin’, too.
As Mike moved me aside, and ripped Carlton’s shirt open, guilt infiltrated my circulation system. With quick breaths, I kept gaspin’ for air. “Ohhhhhhh nooooo. My son,” I wailed.
In a dash, I snapped. I manged to get my hands on my gun and fired like crazy in Bo’s direction. It was clear that he was still talkin’ shit, along with his sidekick, Sugar G. I gripped the gun tighter and fired again, makin’ sure the target was hit. I saw Bo clutchin’ at his leg, but he was still able to limp away. Before long, Sasha came blazin’ from the house with a larger gun that I’d neva seen before. Like Thelma and Louise we lit the block up, until neither of us had bullets left, and they had both disappeared.
I swore on everything that I ever loved, if Bo lived I’d get his ass. If I died, I’d come back tougher than ever and haunt the shit outta him. It seemed like somethin’ out of a movie. As soon as the first police car pulled up to the scene, the ambulance arrived, then another, followed by numerous other police cars. It was all happenin’ so fast. The images of Carlton lyin’ on the ground had me hallucinatin’. All of a sudden, I got dizzy.
Sweat beaded up on my forehead as I watched Carlton’s eyelids close.
His chest rose, then deflated. It rose again slightly, only slower time and time again. I watched while backin’ away, with a tearful eye. Mike rose from the ground, and rushed ova to console me. He held me close and tight in his arms as we rocked together. I cried out loudly knowin’ the end result. We all heard the language the paramedics were using, and their expressions revealed that it wasn’t a good sign. That’s when Mike said, “Be strong, baby.”
I responded with another gruelin’ sob. Seconds later, one of the paramedics looked at me with a consoling expression, but didn’t say a word. Little did he know…he didn’t have to. I knew my baby was gone.
“No. No. No. Nooooooooooo,” I chanted to myself. “This wasn’t supposed to happen!”
I pressed against the sides of my head with my sweaty palms and began to pace the sidewalk. Suddenly, there she was sprawled out on the ground. I hadn’t even noticed my mother had been hit from all the gun fire. I watched with wide eyes and loads of hope that she would die. When I saw her coughing and the paramedics lifting her head slightly, I rushed ova to Sasha and grabbed her gun from her hand. I needed artillery that was a sure shot.
Sasha gave me a look that said she understood, while Mike shouted out in my direction. “It’s not worth it Chantel!”
By the time I made it ova to my mother’s body, the police were already up on me with their guns drawn. One tried to talk to me calmly while another shouted, “Drop your weapon now!”
I just couldn’t. The pain I felt was unbearable. At that moment, I needed her to trade places with my son. So I pressed both hands around the gun a lil’ tighter and slightly higher in the air. Before I knew it, gun shots rang out again. My entire body headed into shock and coldness crept through my soul as I barely heard the officer say, “Another fatality.”
COMING SOON
Most people think when you say, “I do” all problems come to an end. When happily ever after seems impos sible, three women transform from good girls to bad women. Just when they think they’ve made it out of the grimy streets to a more ideal lifestyle in the suburbs, their lavish lives turn sour. Unfortunately, for the sexy threesome they are all suddenly faced with financial hardships that land them between a rock and a hard place. Join these three ladies on an exciting journey from the good life to the desperate life.
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